Renée Andor
North Island College students now have guaranteed admission and course transfer to many programs at the University of Victoria.
The two post-secondary institutions recently signed an agreement allowing NIC students to use their academic performance at the college for UVic admission rather than their high school transcripts.
“We really believe that North Island College can act as a hub for post-secondary education in our region,” said NIC director of college and community relations Susan Auchterlonie.
“It’s another example of us seeking out partnerships with other post-secondary institutions to ensure that the residents of our region have access to an increasing number of degree completion opportunities.”
NIC and UVic signed a dual admission agreement, implemented this past September, allowing students accepted to UVic via their high school transcripts to take courses at NIC.
Now, new and current NIC students can transfer over to UVic starting this September, using their NIC credits.
This creates a previously unavailable admission guarantee for mature students, current NIC students, individuals who may not have completed Grade 12, or students whose final high school grades may not have met UVic’s competitive first-year entry levels.
NIC students must complete at least 24 University Studies credits, (eight courses), of UVic transfer courses, chosen with help from a NIC student adviser.
Students who achieve a 2.0 Grade Point Average, (C letter grade), are guaranteed admission at UVic.
Auchterlonie said UVic is a highly desirable university and the agreement is great news for NIC, but it’s good news for the university, too.
“The University of Victoria’s done the research,” said Auchterlonie.
“They know that students transferring in from colleges do exceeding well because they’re very well prepared, they know how to study, they’ve learned the skills and they’ve done that from a place of comfort.”
According to NIC president Jan Lindsay, increasing degree completion opportunities for the NIC region, through expanded partnerships with other post-secondary institutions, is an integral component of the college’s mandate.
“At NIC, students have access to an ever-growing network of university partnerships and degree pathways,” Lindsay said in a news release.
“Whatever degree or university a student may want, we are actively working to ensure that starting at NIC will get them there.”
For more information, call 1-800-715-0914 to book an appointment with Kelly Shopland, NIC’s advisor for UVic admission programs, or visit www.nic.bc.ca.
